Discourse and the acquisition of grammatical morphemes

1990 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 607-624 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Jeffrey Farrar
Keyword(s):  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Syntactic Structures ◽  
Grammatical Morphemes ◽  
Maternal Discourse

ABSTRACTAdult recasts of child utterances have been shown to be related in a general way to the child's acquisition of syntactic structures. The current study had two aims. The first aim was to determine which feature(s) of recasts (i.e. reformulation, expansion, topic continuation, or reply) was responsible for facilitating language acquisition by comparing them to other maternal discourse models that were systematically defined by these properties. The second aim was to investigate this relation more specifically by relating adult discourse models of specific grammatical morphemes to the child's acquisition of those same morphemes. Again, recasts were of particular interest. Twelve mother-child dyads were videorecorded during one hour of naturalistic interaction when the children were 1;10 and 2;4. Results indicated that maternal recasts of specific morphemes were related to the acquisition of those same grammatical morphemes during certain developmental periods, whereas other grammatical morphemes were facilitated by expansions and topic continuations. These results are discussed in terms of the processes responsible for these effects.

The role of the second language in third language acquisition: the case of Germanic syntax

2007 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 459-484 ◽  
Author(s):  
Camilla Bardel ◽  
Ylva Falk
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Qualitative Difference ◽  
Initial State ◽  
Syntactic Structures ◽  
Considerable Evidence ◽  
Third Language ◽  
Third Language Acquisition ◽  
L3 Acquisition

In this study of the placement of sentence negation in third language acquisition (L3), we argue that there is a qualitative difference between the acquisition of a true second language (L2) and the subsequent acquisition of an L3. Although there is considerable evidence for L2 influence on vocabulary acquisition in L3, not all researchers believe that such influence generalizes to morphosyntactic aspects of the grammar. For example, Håkansson et al. (2002) introduce the Developmentally Moderated Transfer Hypothesis (DMTH), which incorporates transfer in Processability Theory (PT). They argue against syntactic transfer from L2 to L3. The present study presents counter-evidence to this hypothesis from two groups of learners with different L1s and L2s acquiring Swedish or Dutch as L3. The evidence clearly indicates that syntactic structures are more easily transferred from L2 than from L1 in the initial state of L3 acquisition. The two groups behave significantly differently as to the placement of negation, a difference that can be attributed to the L2 knowledge of the learners in interaction with the typological relationship between the L2 and the L3.

scholarly journals Input effects across domains: The case of Greek subjects in child heritage language

2018 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 421-445 ◽  
Author(s):  
Evangelia Daskalaki ◽  
Vasiliki Chondrogianni ◽  
Elma Blom ◽  
Froso Argyri ◽  
Johanne Paradis
Keyword(s):  
Language Acquisition ◽  
North America ◽  
Heritage Language ◽  
Language Use ◽  
Bilingual Children ◽  
Heritage Speakers ◽  
Syntactic Structures ◽  
Heritage Language Acquisition ◽  
English Bilingual ◽  
Interface Hypothesis

A recurring question in the literature of heritage language acquisition, and more generally of bilingual acquisition, is whether all linguistic domains are sensitive to input reduction and to cross-linguistic influence and to what extent. According to the Interface Hypothesis, morphosyntactic phenomena regulated by discourse–pragmatic conditions are more likely to lead to non-native outcomes than strictly syntactic aspects of the language (Sorace, 2011). To test this hypothesis, we examined subject realization and placement in Greek–English bilingual children learning Greek as a heritage language in North America and investigated whether the amount of heritage language use can predict their performance in syntax–discourse and narrow syntactic contexts. Results indicated two deviations from the Interface Hypothesis: First, subject realization (a syntax–discourse phenomenon) was found to be largely unproblematic. Second, subject placement was affected not only in syntax–discourse structures but also in narrow syntactic structures, though to a lesser degree, suggesting that the association between the interface status of subject placement and its sensitivity to heritage language use among children heritage speakers is gradient rather than categorical.

Language switching constraints: more than syntax? Data from Media Lengua

2016 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 722-746 ◽  
Author(s):  
JOHN M. LIPSKI
Keyword(s):  
Language Identification ◽  
Single Word ◽  
Syntactic Structures ◽  
Subject Pronouns ◽  
Grammatical Morphemes ◽  
Main Effect ◽  
Third Person ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Logical Semantic ◽  
Acceptability Judgment

This study investigates the relationship between intra-sentential codeswitching restrictions after subject pronouns, negative elements, and interrogatives and language-specific syntactic structures. Data are presented from two languages that have non-cognate lexicons but share identical phrase structure and syntactic mechanisms and exactly thesamegrammatical morphemesexcept forpronouns, negators, and interrogative words. The languages are the Quichua of Imbabura province, Ecuador and Ecuadorian Media Lengua (ML), consisting of Quichua morphosyntax with Spanish-derived lexical roots. Bilingual participants carried out un-timed acceptability judgment and language-identification tasks and concurrent memory-loaded repetition on utterances in Quichua, ML, and various mixtures of Quichua and ML. The acceptability and classification data show a main effect for category of single-word switches (significant differences for lexical vs. interrogative, negative, and for acceptability, pronoun) and repetition data show significant differences between lexical vs. interrogatives and negators. Third-person pronouns (which require an explicit antecedent) also differ significantly from lexical items. Logical-semantic factors may contribute to code-switching restrictions.

scholarly journals Chromatic transitions in the emergence of syntax networks

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (12) ◽  
pp. 181286 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bernat Corominas-Murtra ◽  
Martí Sànchez Fibla ◽  
Sergi Valverde ◽  
Ricard Solé
Keyword(s):  
Data Analysis ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Null Model ◽  
Growth Dynamics ◽  
General Level ◽  
Network Growth ◽  
Syntactic Structures ◽  
Scale Free ◽  
Scale Free Graphs ◽  
Syntactic Relations

The emergence of syntax during childhood is a remarkable example of how complex correlations unfold in nonlinear ways through development. In particular, rapid transitions seem to occur as children reach the age of two, which seems to separate a two-word, tree-like network of syntactic relations among words from the scale-free graphs associated with the adult, complex grammar. Here, we explore the evolution of syntax networks through language acquisition using thechromatic number, which captures the transition and provides a natural link to standard theories on syntactic structures. The data analysis is compared to a null model of network growth dynamics which is shown to display non-trivial and sensible differences. At a more general level, we observe that the chromatic classes define independent regions of the graph, and thus, can be interpreted as the footprints of incompatibility relations, somewhat as opposed to modularity considerations.

Agrammatism in sentence production without comprehension deficits: Reduced availability of syntactic structures and/or of grammatical morphemes? A case study

1988 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 273-295 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean-Luc Nespoulous ◽  
Monique Dordain ◽  
Cecile Perron ◽  
Bernadette Ska ◽  
Daniel Bub ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sentence Production ◽  
Syntactic Structures ◽  
Grammatical Morphemes

scholarly journals Acquisition of Future Perfect Progressive Tense by Persian L2 Learners of English: The Interpretability Hypothesis

2017 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
pp. 12-24
Author(s):  
Zahra Sadri ◽  
Anahita Khosravi
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Placement Test ◽  
Production Test ◽  
Syntactic Structures ◽  
Comprehension Test ◽  
L2 Learners

The issue of non-native speakers’ divergence from L2 input has gained popularity in the field of second language acquisition during the previous decades. Many significant scholars have joined the discussion and tried to explain this phenomenon through various models and frameworks. In this regard, the present study discussed domains of divergence within the framework of interpretability hypothesis. To this end, syntactic structures of future perfect progressive tense were compared in English and Persian. To examine the validity of Interpretability Hypothesis (IH), 30 Iranian L2 learners at intermediate and advanced levels were selected based on the oxford quick placement test. Further, learners were required to answer two translation tests containing English to Persian (comprehension test) and Persian to English (production test) sentences. Results revealed that learners had no problem in comprehension of this tense; however, when it came to production, they experienced some instances of divergence. Based on the findings, underpinnings of IH are supported in the sense that the logically interpretable English future perfect progressive tense poses little problem for learners whose L1 lacks the tense phonologically. Moreover, the results showed that Persian learners resort to some other compensatory tenses to express futurity in their L1.

Taalverwerving En De Herkenning Van Morfo-Syntactische Structuren Door Prelinguaal Totaal Dove Lezers.

1986 ◽  
Vol 24 ◽  
pp. 69-80
Author(s):  
H. Veenker
Keyword(s):  
Pilot Study ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Reading Process ◽  
Syntactic Structures ◽  
Psychological Reality ◽  
Experimental Part ◽  
Theoretical Part ◽  
Deaf Readers ◽  
The Subject ◽  
True False

A pilot study is reported of the recognition of morphological and syntactic structures by prelingually totally deaf readers. The reading process is of importance because language acquisition takes place, among other things, through writing. The study was prompted by the question posed by Hung, Tzeng en Warren (1981): Why is it so difficult for deaf subjects to develop automaticity in recognizing printed English letters and words? This question was paraphrased as follows: How unambiguously are syntactic and morphological structures reflected in writing? In the theoretical part of the study it is argued that the -er suffix can be considered ambiguous. In the experimental part of the study the question was if, and to what extent, this ambiguity has psychological reality during the reading process of deaf subjects. Three questions were studied: 1. Is the subject able to recognise the suffix? 2. Is he able to affix correct connotations to it? 3. Is he able to give correct grammatical judgements about it? The results, based on an analysis of response delays and true/ false decisions, indicate that the deaf subjects do automatize, but in such a way that they systematically produce incorrect responses in certain spelling matters.

PROCESSABILITY APPROACHES TO RECEPTIVE THIRD LANGUAGE ACQUISITION: IMPLICATIONS FOR MULTILINGUAL CLASSROOMS

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helen Forsyth ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Second Language Learning ◽  
Qualitative Difference ◽  
Scaling Analysis ◽  
Syntactic Structures ◽  
Third Language ◽  
Third Language Acquisition ◽  
Developmental Readiness

Existing research indicates a qualitative difference between Second Language Learning and Third Language Acquisition, and certain psycholinguistic and developmental aspects to multilingual learners merit investigation. The present paper examines stages in receptive learner acquisition of English as a Third Language at Italian-medium primary schools in South Tyrol in Italy employing a picture selection task and implicational scaling analysis. It highlights the role that processing approaches to acquisition proposing constraints on developmental readiness and cross-linguistic influence may play for the emergence of receptive competence in morpho-syntactic structures.

Missing verbal inflections as a representational problem

2012 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 109-140 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bill VanPatten ◽  
Gregory D. Keating ◽  
Michael J. Leeser
Keyword(s):  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Spanish Speakers ◽  
Inflectional Morphology ◽  
Native Spanish Speakers ◽  
Advanced Learners ◽  
Syntactic Structures ◽  
L2 Learners ◽  
Grammatical Structures

A continuing concern in second language acquisition (SLA) research is whether problems with inflectional morphology are representational or related somehow to performance. In this study, we examine 25 non-advanced learners of L2 Spanish and compare them with 18 native Spanish speakers on three grammatical structures: subject-verb inversion, adverb placement and person-number inflections on verbs. We use self-paced reading as a measure of underlying sensitivity to grammatical violations. Our results clearly show that the L2 learners pattern like the native speakers on the two syntactic structures; both groups demonstrate sensitivity to grammatical violations while reading sentences for meaning. For person-number on verbs, L2 learners did not show sensitivity to grammatical violations whereas the native speakers did. We argue that these results suggest a representational problem for morphology in our L2 population.

scholarly journals A multiple process solution to the logical problem of language acquisition

2004 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 883-914 ◽  
Author(s):  
BRIAN MACWHINNEY
Keyword(s):  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Universal Grammar ◽  
Corrective Feedback ◽  
Careful Analysis ◽  
Negative Evidence ◽  
Processing Load ◽  
Syntactic Structures ◽  
Logical Problem ◽  
Multiple Process

Many researchers believe that there is a logical problem at the centre of language acquisition theory. According to this analysis, the input to the learner is too inconsistent and incomplete to determine the acquisition of grammar. Moreover, when corrective feedback is provided, children tend to ignore it. As a result, language learning must rely on additional constraints from universal grammar. To solve this logical problem, theorists have proposed a series of constraints and parameterizations on the form of universal grammar. Plausible alternatives to these constraints include: conservatism, item-based learning, indirect negative evidence, competition, cue construction, and monitoring. Careful analysis of child language corpora has cast doubt on claims regarding the absence of positive exemplars. Using demonstrably available positive data, simple learning procedures can be formulated for each of the syntactic structures that have traditionally motivated invocation of the logical problem. Within the perspective of emergentist theory (MacWhinney, 2001), the operation of a set of mutually supportive processes is viewed as providing multiple buffering for developmental outcomes. However, the fact that some syntactic structures are more difficult to learn than others can be used to highlight areas of intense grammatical competition and processing load.

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